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Sunday’s match at the Eden Gardens was some 20 minutes old, and into the fourth over of the Delhi Capitals innings, when Rajasthan Royals sealed the last Playoffs slot of IPL-19 at the faraway Wankhede. RR’s win over Mumbai Indians doused the dying embers of Kolkata Knight Riders’s hopes, but their men who mattered came to know much later.
“We got to know when we finished our fielding, after those 20 overs. Before that, no instructions, nothing, that’s what we had decided before stepping onto the field. Our focus was to win this game, rather than think about what’s happening [elsewhere],” revealed KKR skipper Ajinkya Rahane.
DC went on to set a target of 204 before bowling out KKR for 163 in the 19th over, Rahane signing off with a 39-ball 63 that included four boundaries and four sixes.
KKR were cruising before Kuldeep Yadav triggered a collapse in the 14th over. Kuldeep, adjudged Player of the Match, finished with 3-29 and could have had a hat-trick had wicketkeeper Abishek Porel not dropped Tejasvi Dahiya. “It happens,” said the spinner at the post-match chat, adding that he went home after the last match to iron out “some small things” with his coach.
It was time too for some looking back. “We’re really proud of the way we came back, showing character,” Rahane reflected. “I thought we were playing really good cricket [even when we were not winning], but kept losing [key] moments. It was really tough. We decided we will stay together, back each other,” revealed the skipper.
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